With the clock ticking toward the 10 April full roll-out of the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), the European Commission on 20 February quietly issued an implementing decision that gives member states new breathing room. Border authorities may now suspend the collection of fingerprints and facial images for up to six hours a day when passenger volumes risk creating severe congestion. The opt-out can be activated at airports, ferry ports and land crossings but only during exceptional peaks, such as summer weekends or post-strike backlogs.
For Belgium the flexibility is significant. Brussels Airport processed more than 2.5 million non-EU travellers last summer and trial EES registration already produced queues exceeding 90 minutes during the morning long-haul bank. The federal police have warned that staff numbers are insufficient to handle full biometric capture without additional automation lanes.
Under the new rules, travellers will still undergo standard passport checks and their stay will be recorded, but the biometric component can be postponed to a later trip. The Commission insists that security is not compromised because Advance Passenger Information and Schengen Information System alerts remain in force.
![EU lets Schengen states – including Belgium – pause EES biometrics to ease summer queues]()
If you need help navigating the evolving border procedures, VisaHQ offers real-time guidance on Belgian and wider Schengen entry requirements, including the new EES mandates. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) lets travellers check documentation, arrange visa or passport renewals, and receive alerts about biometric enrolment rules—saving precious time when lines start to build.
Airlines and airports welcomed the move, saying it is the only realistic way to avoid four-hour lines during the first full holiday season under EES. Mobility managers should brief employees that processing times may still spike unpredictably and advise early airport arrival until Belgium completes staffing and e-gate upgrades.
Long-term, the decision puts pressure on member states to accelerate recruitment and procurement of automated border-control kiosks. Belgium’s interior ministry says it will add 120 officers and 20 e-gates at BRU before July, but contingency plans now exist should the infrastructure fall behind schedule.
For Belgium the flexibility is significant. Brussels Airport processed more than 2.5 million non-EU travellers last summer and trial EES registration already produced queues exceeding 90 minutes during the morning long-haul bank. The federal police have warned that staff numbers are insufficient to handle full biometric capture without additional automation lanes.
Under the new rules, travellers will still undergo standard passport checks and their stay will be recorded, but the biometric component can be postponed to a later trip. The Commission insists that security is not compromised because Advance Passenger Information and Schengen Information System alerts remain in force.
If you need help navigating the evolving border procedures, VisaHQ offers real-time guidance on Belgian and wider Schengen entry requirements, including the new EES mandates. Their platform (https://www.visahq.com/belgium/) lets travellers check documentation, arrange visa or passport renewals, and receive alerts about biometric enrolment rules—saving precious time when lines start to build.
Airlines and airports welcomed the move, saying it is the only realistic way to avoid four-hour lines during the first full holiday season under EES. Mobility managers should brief employees that processing times may still spike unpredictably and advise early airport arrival until Belgium completes staffing and e-gate upgrades.
Long-term, the decision puts pressure on member states to accelerate recruitment and procurement of automated border-control kiosks. Belgium’s interior ministry says it will add 120 officers and 20 e-gates at BRU before July, but contingency plans now exist should the infrastructure fall behind schedule.
